Are You Longing for a Deeper Experience of God?
An invitation to deepen your relationship with God in the midst of your everyday life.
You may already love God, pray regularly, and know a great deal about your faith. And still, you may long for something more personal — not simply to know more about God, but to recognize His presence in the middle of everyday life, and to know yourself as truly known and loved by Him.
Think About One of the Best Relationships You've Ever Experienced
It might be a spouse, a close friend, a parent, or a mentor — someone who comes easily to mind. What made that relationship so good?
Choose the words below that describe how you experienced it.
Your words may be different. If an important word isn't here, name it for yourself.
Now look at the words you chose.
How do you know these things are true? Chances are, you didn't simply read about them — you experienced them in the relationship.
God Is That—and So Much More.
Look again at the words you chose. Which do you already recognize in your relationship with God — acceptance, presence, trustworthiness, patience, delight? Which feel harder to believe? There are no right or wrong answers, only your own honest experience.
There can be a tremendous difference between knowing that God loves you and living from the experience of being loved by God.
What the Spiritual Exercises Are
Grace is God's loving involvement in our lives.
Nearly 500 years ago, St. Ignatius of Loyola developed the Spiritual Exercises from his own lived experience of God. Through prayer, Scripture, honest reflection, and listening, they help us recognize God's presence and loving involvement in the midst of everyday life.
Their lens is love and relationship.
The invitation is simply to pay loving attention, and to respond a little more freely to a God who is already present.
The Exercises in Everyday Life
With The Intentional Soul, you experience the full Spiritual Exercises inside your everyday life, not apart from it.
- Approximately eight months
- Daily personal prayer and reflection
- Experienced in ordinary daily life
- Available with a small group or one-on-one
- No prior Ignatian experience required
- Rooted in Catholic tradition and Scripture
- Open to people who are not Catholic
With a Small Group
Groups of eight to ten gather once a week. Each person also meets individually with Dick twice a month for spiritual direction.
One-on-One
If you experience the Exercises one-on-one, you meet with Dick each week to share what you're experiencing and receive spiritual direction as you move through them together.
What Begins to Grow?
No one can tell you beforehand exactly what God will do in your life. But a deeper relationship with God begins to bear fruit in how we live — what St. Paul calls the Fruit of the Spirit:
love · joy · peace · patience · kindness · generosity · faithfulness · gentleness · self-control
Galatians 5:22–23
These aren't simply qualities to work harder at producing — they're fruit. Over the years, I've watched people who have experienced the Spiritual Exercises become more peaceful and more confident in their relationship with God.
A Loving Presence in the World.
"Through The Spiritual Exercises and the guidance of Dick Alexander, my spiritual life has grown tremendously. Dick coached me every step of the way. Dick is a trusted, valuable resource." Frank Robinson
Dick Alexander is a trained spiritual director and facilitator of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Having made the Exercises himself, Dick accompanies others with a simple conviction: God is already present and lovingly involved in your life, and the invitation is to notice, and respond a little more freely. Read more about Dick.
Perhaps It's Time for a Conversation
If you're longing for a deeper experience of God, you don't have to decide in advance whether the Spiritual Exercises are right for you. The next step is simply a conversation — we can talk about what you're looking for, answer your questions, and discern together whether this season of your life might be the right fit.
Let's have a conversation